BALTIMORE (Map, News) - Some 1,100 Baltimore City Public Schools students who were excluded from attending school for nearly three months because of missing immunizations can return to classes for 45 days while efforts to vaccinate them continue, school officials announced Thursday.

The Maryland State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene approved Baltimore’s vaccination outreach plan under an emergency regulation of the Code of Maryland Regulations.

Vanessa Pyatt, a BCPSS spokeswoman, said students who are not up to date and do not receive shots in the next 45 days risk exclusion from school again.

School officials also said about 5,000 additional children, who are being vaccinated against hepatitis B and varicella (chickenpox) but have not finished the series, are also at risk of being excluded from schools. Updated shot records must be delivered to the school for the student not to be at risk of exclusion at a later date.

The Health Department has equipped its school nursing staff to be able to provide shots to students on school sites, once authorized parental permission forms are received by the child’s school.

During the 2005 legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly extended vaccination requirements for hepatitis B and varicella to fifth through ninth grades, going into effect in September 2006. In July, the effective date was delayed until Jan. 1, because of the thousands of students still without the newly required vaccines despite ongoing outreach efforts.

“We worked with the Baltimore City Health Department to outline our plan, and we’re going to continue reaching out to families to make appointments for these kids while they’re in class,” Pyatt said. “We’re doing everything we can to make sure these kids are up to date.”

The vast majority of the 1,100 excluded students are middle school students, Pyatt said. They already have missed the Maryland State Assessment tests, and no special tutoring or other help is currently being offered to students who have missed the extended class time, she said.

Last spring, more than 23,000 Baltimore City school students were not in compliance with new state Department of Health immunization guidelines. After months of letters, phone calls and pleas in the media to reach parents, those numbers declined dramatically. But as of mid-January, 6,135 city students were not allowed in classrooms, said Dr. Anne Bailowitz, the city Health Department’s child health and immunization chief.

Since that time, the school system has sent letters home to parents; launched a media campaign, including radio, television, bus shelter and movie components; introduced extra public health clinics with extended hours where free vaccines are offered; and provided additional nursing teams to go to schools.

A citywide door-to-door campaign eventually began, with calls and visits to more than 500 homes, coordinated by the Baltimore City Health Department. About 900 youths were identified to be without health insurance, officials said, adding that outreach to enroll them is under way.

Getting vaccinated

The Baltimore City Health Department continues to provide free shots at its health clinics; appointments are not necessary. The health department also has scheduled an official Immunization Week, April 17 to 21 at its clinic locations.

The weekly health clinic schedule is:

» Tuesdays: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m at Eastern Health District, 620 N. Caroline St., 21205

» Wednesdays: 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Druid Health District, 1515 W. North Ave., 21217

» Thursdays: 9:30 a.m to 3 p.m. at Eastern Health District, 620 N. Caroline St., 21205

» Extra clinics will be scheduled during the week of April 17 to 21. For additional information, call 410-396-4454.

rcassie@baltimoreexaminer.com